Poultry-feeder.



A. L. SWEET.

POULTRY FEEDER.

1,002,782. APPLIGATION IILED OCT. 4, 1910. Sept. 5

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POULTRY FEEDER.

APPLICATION FILED 0014, 1910.

I Patented Sept. 5, 1911.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALONZO LOUIS SWEET, 0F NORWICH, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOHARRY W. WARD, OF NORWICH, CONNECTICUT.

POULTRY-FEEDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1911.

Application filed. October 4, 1910. Serial No. 585,222.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALoNzo L. SWEET, a citizen of the United States,residing at Norwich, Connecticut, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Poultry-Feeders, of which the following is aspecification.

My present invention relates to improvement-s in poultry feeding devicesof the class in which the grain or like food is stored in a tank orreceptacle from which it is adapted to be delivered in small quantitiesto the poultry as needed, the delivery being controlled entirely by thepoultry.

Among the objects of the invention are to provide a simple, economicaland efiicient device, of a sanitary nature, which will deliver the foodin small quantities and only as the poultry are impelled by hunger toactuate said device, which will prevent waste of food, but which willalso scatter the food delivered so as to prevent crowding of the poultryimmediately under the feeder, and which may be used equally well insideof poultry houses or in the open.

Other objects and advantages are also incident to my improved feeder aswill hereinafter appear.

The invention includes the novel features of construction andarrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly defined inthe appended claims.

A feeder constructed in accordance with my invention is illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of adevice embodying my invention attached to a wall or suitable support,with the feed pad showing in section; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of thesame; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the tank; Fig. 4 isa central vertical sectional view through the lower portion of the tank;Fig. 5 is a detail, viewed from the rear of the device, and Fig. 6 is adetail plan view of the grain distributor and cut-off plate showing itspivotal mounting, with the bracket therefor shown in dotted lines.

Referring by reference characters to this drawing, the numeral 1designates a suitable hopper or receptacle for holdlng a sultablequantity of grain, whlch is provided with ears or like devices, asindicated at 1, by which it may be suspended from a wall,

post, or other convenient place. It is preferably constructed ofnon-corrodible metal and provided with a flat back wall 1 to enable itto rest steadily against the support upon which it is hung. It isprovided with a hinged cover 1*, which is sloped to shed moisture andalso to prevent the poultry from finding standing room thereon. Thebottom of the hopper is also sloped or inclined to cause all the graincontained therein to gravitate to the delivery chute 2. The delivery ofgrain through the chute is controlled by suit-able bait holding devicesactuated by the depending feed pads 3 through mechanism hereinafterdescribed, which feed pads are moved by the poultry in their efiorts toget the food carried by the pads. These pads are preferably of sheetmetal of shallow box-like or tray form disposed vertically and havinggrain, such as kernels of corn, cemented thereto by a water proofcement. The pads are designed to be located at such a distance from theground as to cause the poultry, in their desire to reach the graincarried thereby, to jump, and the impact of the bill in so jumping willcause the pads to move rearwardly, and through the connections referredto, deliver a measured charge of grain in the manner hereinafterdescribed. The pads are carried upon the lower ends of the verticallydisposed swinging arms 4; and are preferably made detachable, so as tobe capable of being removed and replaced should the grain carriedthereby need reple'nishing. A convenient means of effecting suchdetachable connection is to flatten the ends of the rods and seat themin correspondingly shaped sockets 3 on the backs of the pads, in whichthey are secured by cotter pins 5. The arms are hinged at their upperends to the hopper, and I prefer to make both arms of a single rod ofmetal having its central portion 4? offset from the pivots of the rodsto form a crank, the pivots being formed by the bends 4 which are hungin hook-shaped brackets secured to the bottom of the. hopper. The openhooks of the brackets serve to permit the arms to be readily removed forconvenience in shipping.

Normally the arms and pads are caused by the action of gravity to hangin a vertical position, and when in this position the I claim is:

- forward again and the slide reenters' the movement of the distributerplate, the implate for the lower end of said chute, a grain deliverychute 2 is closed by a slide 5*, which is operatively connected with thecentral portion 4? or crank of the. rod. In order that the position ofthe slide may be adjusted to suit different requirements or conditions,I provide a plate 6 which has a recessed portion which receives thecrank and. lies between two collars 6", which prevent endwise movement.The slide 5* is provided with a plurality of holes, and the plate 6. isalso apertured so that the two may be 'adjustably connected by cotterpins 7 as shown.

The slide 5 enters the chute through a slot in the rear wall thereof ata short distance from the lower end. As the slide is moved rearwardly,the lower end of the chute is closed by a swinging cut-ofi or plate 8carried by the grain distributer 9, such cut-off plate and slidecooperating to cause a measured charge of grain to be delivered to thedistributer. Said distributer comprises a substantially horizontallydisposed grain receiving plate 10, having a curved wall '10, which plate10 is carried by a vertically disposed rod 11 rotatably mounted inbrackets 12 projecting from the chute. This 'rod 11 has a crank armllPwhich is connected by a link 13 with the crank a. Thus as the padsand depending arms are swung rearwardly wthdrawing the slide from thechute, the distributer is swung forwardly causing the cut-off plate toclose the lower end of the chute. As thearms swing chute, the cut-offplate is removed from beneath the chute and the distributer plateoccupies a position directly beneath' the chute, allowingthe segregatedportion of the grain within the chute to drop upon the distributerplate. on the next forward pulse given thereto causes the grain thereonto be thrown forward, scattering it upon the ground at some distancefrom the feeding device, thus'preventing the crowding of the poultrydirectly beneath the feeding device.

In order to limit the rearward movement of the swinging arms, I providea suitable stop device, as indicated at '14.

IVith some kinds of grain there would be danger'of its clogging in thechute, and to avoid this I provide therein an agitator 15 carried on arock shaft 16and operated by a link 17 connecting it to the crank 4Having thus described my invention what 1'. In apoultry feeding device,a suitable hopper having a discharge chute, a cut-off slide located insaid chute at a suitable distance from the bottom, a movable cut-oftscattering deviceconnected Withsaid cut,- ofi" plate and receivingthegrain from the chute onthe removal of the. cut-off plate,

and poultry controlled devices for operating said cut-off slide andplate and said distributer.

2. In a poultry feeding device, a suitable hopper having a dischargechute, a cut-ofi slide located therein, a movable cut-off plate, adistributer plate adjacent to said cut-off plate and depressed below thelevel thereof to provide for the reception of grain on the removal ofthe cut-off plate from beneath the 'chute, and poultry controlled meansfor operating said cutoff slide and said cut-off plate and distributerplate.

3. In a poultry feeding device, a hopper having a feed chute, a cut-01fslide in said chute, a horizontally swinging member having an elevatedportion constituting a cutoff plate and a depressed portion constitutinga distributer plate, and poultry controlled means for operating saidparts.

4. In a poultry feeding device, a hopper having a feed chute, a cut-offslide in said chute, a horizontally swinging member having a cut-offplate and a distributer plate, a swinging bait carrying rod dependingfrom said hopper and having a crank arm or portion connected therewith,and connections from said crank arm to said cut-off slide and swingingmember.

, 5. In a poultry feeding device, a hopper having a delivery opening,means for feeding measured charges of grain therethrough, a baitcarrying device comprising a single rod bent to provide depending baitcarrying arms, and a depressed intermediate crank portion, bracketscarried by said hopper and pivotally engaging the portions of said rodbetween said arms and crank portion, and

connections between said crank portion and said feeding means foroperating the latter.

6. Ina poultry feeding device, a hopper havinga feed chute, a cut-offslide therein, a horizontally disposed oscillating cut-ofi' plate at thelower end of said feed chute, a freely swinging depending bait carryingarm, a horizontally disposed rod move thereby, a connection between saidrod and cut-off slide, a vertical shaft connected to said oscillatingplate, and a crank arm on said" shaft connected to said horizontallydisposed rod.

'7. In a poultry feeding device, a hopper having a feed chute, a cut-offslide therein, a horizontally disposed oscillating cut-off plate at thelower end of said feed chute, a freely swinging depending bait carryingarm, 'a horizontally disposed rod moved thereby, an adjustableconnection between said rod and cut-off slide, a vertical shaftconnected to said oscillating plate and a crank arm on said shaftconnected to said plate at the lower end of said feed chute, a freelyswinging depending bait carrying arm, means for limiting the swingingmovement of said arm, a horizontally disposed rod moved thereby, aconnection between said rod and cut-ofi slide, a vertical shaftconnected to said oscillating plate, and a crank arm on said shaftconnected to said horizontally disposed rod.

9. In a poultry feeding device, a hopper having a feed chute, a cut-ofislide therein, a horizontally disposed oscillating cut-off plate at thelower end of said feed chute, a freely swinging depending bait carryingarm, a horizontally disposed rod moved thereby, a connection betweensaid rod and cut-0E slide, a vertical shaft connected to saidoscillating plate, a crank arm on said shaft connected to saidhorizontally disposed rod, and an agitator in said feed chute operatedfrom said cross rod.

.In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

JAMES E. FULLER, JANE G. MURRAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each,.by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

